Always and Forever
by bibliophile114
Summary: Lily's and James's relationship was "always and forever". They would always and forever hate each other, always and forever fight, and always and forever be enemies. But when seventh year rolls around, will the meaning of "always and forever" change?
1. Prologue

**A/N: Hi everyone. This is Always and Forever, my first fanfic. This story is set in the Marauder's era, and is mainly about the seventh year relationship between Lily and James, with their friends and some events thrown in. Most of the characters in this story are creations of J.K. Rowling, and a very few of them are of my invention. This is going to be a long, many chapter story with a definite, book related ending. I am making every attempt to be as accurate and true to the books as possible. I will love it if you review, and ask that you please do, but I won't ask for a huge number before publishing the next chapter or anything like that. I'd like to apologize for technical issues, as this is my first fanfic. I'm also sorry for inaccuracies, mistakes, and inconsistencies related to not only the books/Harry Potter wizarding world, but also the 1970s, England, and English culture, since I'm American. I will be doing my best to research those things (thank you, Pinky Brown, for your guide!). I apologize for any late updates, and please keep in mind that those are either due to my incredibly busy schedule or writer's block and it's not because I'm mad at you. I'd like to acknowledge the Harry Potter Lexicon, my life saving resource. I dedicate this to and thank: Bekka, Aidan, C-Rose, the creators of Fanfiction, all the wonderful authors on this site who have inspired me, and you! (Especially those of you who ADORE Lily and James stories!!!) Plus, this is the longest author's note you'll ever get, except possibly the one at the end. All right, I'm done now! Enjoy!!!**

**WARNING: SPOILER ALERT! Do NOT, I repeat NOT, read this if you haven't read all the Harry Potter books, particularly the last three, and ESPECIALLY _Deathly Hallows_. You'll regret it! If you have, please continue. **

**DISCLAIMER: 'Kay, this is the official disclaimer the one with all the details. After this they'll be short and (hopefully) amusing. Here goes: I do not own Harry Potter, J.K. Rowling does. Any OCs are very small characters (for now) and although some characters may have unfamiliar last names it's because they get their married names later…**

Always and Forever

Prologue

Lily Evans had just left the Gryffindor common room on her last day of sixth year at Hogwarts. She was sad to be leaving the place that was more of a home to her than her actual home outside of school. Lily walked dejectedly down the corridor, not anticipating someone approaching.

"Lily," she heard a voice call behind her. She knew that voice—the voice of James Potter. Lily spun around.

"Why'd you call me Lily?" she snapped.

"Because it's your name," said James reasonably. Lily found that, for once, she had no response.

"Anyway, why are you here, Potter?" Lily demanded.

"It's James," he said. "I'm here because I thought I'd say good bye before we go home for the summer."

"Okay," said Lily irritably.

"Well, um, good bye. Have a good summer," James said awkwardly.

"Good bye," said Lily, walking away briskly.

James just stood there for a moment. Then, he called, "Wait! Lily, wait!" and ran up to her.

"What do you want now, P-James?" asked Lily, exasperated.

"Will you go out with me?" said James, the trademark arrogant glint back in his eye, and his hand mussing his already disheveled black hair.

The small amount of patience for James that Lily had still had snapped at his words. "No, James!" she yelled. "When are you going to get it into your thick, overinflated head that I will never go out with you? I'll go out with you when pigs fly and there's snow in August! I hate you, always and forever!"

James face fell. He was wounded. "Lily, what do I have to do to get you to go out with me? To like me, even as a friend?" he asked desperately.

Something other than anger came into Lily's eyes. A sadness, maybe. "I think you know the answer to that question," she whispered. Then she turned around and walked away, her gait growing faster with each step she took, until she was running. James thought that maybe, just maybe, he could hear sobs.

_Well, _thought James, _three new additions to my mental to do list: figure out how to make pigs fly, figure out how to get snow to fall in August, and figure out, besides those things, what I have to do to get Lily to like me._

Lily had done something to James's heart with her words. Altered it, somehow. He just didn't know it, and neither did she.

And the only thing keeping Lily from liking James was his immaturity. Other than that, she was already falling for him. She just didn't know it, and neither did he.

**A/N: All right, what did you think? Please review! And please come back as this story will get longer and better. Also, most chapters will be longer than this, but I felt for that this little prologue the length was about right. I'll do my best to update soon, but I have an incredibly busy life... -bibliophile114 (If you need an actual name-name, I'll let you have one of my many pseudonyms: Storm. I may use it to sign off sometimes...) Bye for real now!**


	2. Chapter 1, The First Requirement

**A/N: Hi everyone. It's back to Always and Forever! I know there are about two people out there who actually enjoy this story and hope another chapter will be published, so no one really cares for this apology, but I'm sorry it took so long to update. I was suffering from busyness, writer's block, and no-one-reviews-my-story-itis. Now, if that doesn't make you feel guilty…anyway. This chapter rocks in at least one way: this chapter practically SAVED AAF from being quit!!! Since the original chapter one was driving me CRAZY, and I could NOT write it to save my life. But then I got the idea of "The First Requirement" and got back on track. So yay! There are some spells in this chapter that I made up. I try my best to be authentic, but not every spell anyone could ever need is mentioned in the books…I did attempt to make it as authentic and root-word-based as JKR's spells, though. Also, remember "when pigs fly" from the first chapter? You may see that phrase in some other LJ fics, but I promise I did not copy it. I had that idea before I had seen it in any other stories. Of course, I'm not saying, not at all, that they copied it from me. Probably just several people had the same idea without realizing it and stuff…just letting you know that I didn't steal the phrase from another LJ fanfic… This chapter is dedicated to stealthclaw, who, if I am not mistaken, added this fanfic to their favorites list and put it on Story Alert. So here is a little message to my dear friend stealthclaw:**

**stealthclaw: Thank you so very much for putting my story on your favorites list and story alert! It really made my day! Also, I absolutely ADORE your profile, and I like Naruto also! You rock!**

**Okay, folks, that's all! I hope you enjoy the second installment, yet first chapter, of…Always and Forever!!! Please review!!! **

**WARNING: SPOILER ALERT! Do NOT, I repeat NOT, read this if you haven't read all the Harry Potter books, particularly the last three, and ESPECIALLY _Deathly Hallows_. You'll regret it! If you have, please continue. **

**DISCLAIMER: If I were J.K. Rowling, I wouldn't have to make up spells for a Harry Potter story. Okay, I would, but the spells would be authentic and JK-ish and AWESOME and it wouldn't be A Harry Potter story it would be THE Harry Potter story. Sigh…**

Always and Forever

Chapter One

The First Requirement

_Dear Remus, _

_Do you still need to go to Diagon Alley for school supplies? If so, would you like to meet me there? I'm going Saturday, August 30__th__, from 1 o'clock to 4 o'clock in the afternoon. I hope you can make it!_

_Love, _

_Lily_

_Dear Lily,_

_I do, in fact, need to go to Diagon Alley for supplies. I'll be sure to meet you there—how about in Flourish and Blotts? _

_Remus_

_P.S. The other Marauders want to come too…? Well, not Peter, actually, but the other two..._

_Dear Remus,_

_Oh, all right, the other Marauders can come. I'm glad you can make it! See you there, in Flourish and Blotts! _

_Love,  
Lily _

Lily sighed with resignation as she sent that last letter to Remus.

Remus smiled when he read that last letter from Lily.

James grinned and nearly jumped for joy when Remus showed him that last letter from Lily.

~*~*~

At 7 o'clock in the morning on August 30th, in Lily's room at her parents' house, Lily woke up to the beeping of her alarm clock and smiled, for today she would return to the world of wizardry.

At 7 o'clock in the morning on August 30th, in James's at the Potters' mansion, James lay asleep, dreaming of his brilliant plan, to be put into action later today.

At 7 o'clock in the morning on August 30th, in Remus's room at his parents' home, Remus had been up for an hour and was sitting in a cushy armchair, reading the _Daily Prophet_.

~*~*~

Lily had just finished packing her satchel of things for her trip to Diagon Alley. She'd eaten breakfast and lunch, spent a nice morning reading and chatting with her parents, and even gotten along reasonably well with her sister, Petunia. Thank goodness that horrible excuse for a human being, Vernon, hadn't come to visit for a week or so.

But even thoughts of her sister's revolting fiancé couldn't mar her joy. Today, Lily was going to Diagon Alley. She was going to see Remus! And James and Sirius too. Lily groaned. _Well, at least I know today won't be boring_, Lily reasoned. Lily liked reasoning. And organizing things, and logic. She especially liked logic when she could use it to outwit people she was arguing with. James, for example. Ugh. James. Lily liked a lot of things, but James wasn't one of them. _No negative thoughts today! _Lily caught herself. She decided to get her mind of things and read for the few minutes before her parents drove her to Diagon Alley. She could apparate, of course, but she always wanted to be careful when in the Muggle world and her apparating would antagonize Petunia. Not something she wanted to deal with today. Lily picked up _Pride and Prejudice_, one of her favorites. Lily was just losing herself in the book's world when a knock on the door interrupted her.

"Come in," said Lily absently.

Her mother, Marianne Evans, opened the door and came in. "Hello, darling. Reading _Pride and Prejudice _again? How many times have you read it now?"

Lily grinned. "I've lost count."

They both laughed, and Lily's mother watched proudly while Lily put her book back on the shelf and slung her bag over her shoulder.

"Is that everything?" asked Marianne.

"Mm hmm," replied Lily.

"Good," replied Mrs. Evans, and they made their way to the car, where Mr. Evans was waiting.

~*~*~

James was joyful. Giddy was probably a better word. Sirius would have called him drunk. He was calling him that, actually.

"Prongs, mate, are you drunk or something? I mean, you're a pretty happy person, but this is…spooky happy." Sirius moaned, still tired. It was half past noon already, and he'd only been awake for half an hour.

"Sirius, we're going to Diagon Alley today! You, me, Moony, and Wormtail!" James exclaimed.

"So what? Oh, and don't forget Lily! She's going too, right?"

"Exactly!" whooped James.

"Oh, but of course! How could I be so unforgivably stupid?" cried Sirius, dramatically clapping his hand to his forehead. "I must have been in a food coma from your mother's delicious cooking and forgotten! Jamesie's fair maiden shall be there, and we have a marvelous plan!"

"Thank goodness, his brain's still intact!" James teased.

"What made you think that it wasn't?" drawled Sirius.

"Oh, a lot of things…"

Sirius was just about to swing a pillow at James when Mrs. Potter called, "Boys!! It's time to go to Diagon Alley!"

"Saved by the mom," grinned James.

"Damn," muttered Sirius, as the two friends went downstairs.

"I heard that Sirius!" admonished Elizabeth Potter, James's mother, as James and Sirius met her at the bottom of the stairs. "Be thankful I'm too busy to bother _scourgify_-ing your mouth today, young man!"

"I am very thankful that you love me too much to wash out my dirty mouth," retorted Sirius with a cheeky smile.

"Don't push me!" said Mrs. Potter sternly, although she had to hide a smile of her own.

"Can we apparate, Mum?" asked James.

"You can. But Sirius will have to side-along with you in compensation for his cheekiness and language," said Elizabeth, a mock-wicked grin on her face.

Sirius sighed. "Da-dear me," he amended.

"That's better," said Mrs. Potter, giving her sons, biological and surrogate, hugs. "Go on, now! Say hi to Remus and Peter for me!"

"We will! Bye! See you this afternoon!" called James and Sirius, as they disappeared with a pop.

~*~*~

It was a few minutes after one o'clock. Lily was on her way to Flourish and Blotts, where she would be meeting the Marauders. She was just a few steps away from the store, when she felt something wet on her forehead. She looked up. The sky was still bright blue and the sun was shining…but there was a cluster of clouds about as big as the ceiling in Lily's kitchen, floating several feet above her head. And drifting down from the clouds were big, fluffy snowflakes! _Snow in August! _Lily thought incredulously. Then she remembered something she had said back in June…

"_No, James!" she yelled. "When are you going to get it into your thick, overinflated head that I will never go out with you? I'll go out with you when pigs fly and there's snow in August! I hate you, always and forever!"_

Had she really been that harsh? Lily had managed to forget that painful day for a while, but try as she might, she knew her cutting words would never leave her mind…or her heart. _Enough of that, though_, she thought. And Lily laughed out loud. Could the cloud be the work of James Potter? Only James would actually take her words literally! Well, if it was him, thank goodness pigs weren't flying yet, otherwise he'd have only one requirement to date her left instead of two…Lily laughed some more, marveling in the beautiful snow from her own personal cloud. People were staring, but she didn't care. She started when James came up to her, followed by Sirius, Remus, and Peter. They waved at her.

"Hi Lily," James said, smiling. "Did you like your snow in August?"

Lily laughed yet another time. "So it was you, then! I most certainly did! I have to hand it to you, that was brilliant! And hilarious."

"So I've fulfilled the first requirement, then?" asked James hopefully.

Lily paused. She guessed she knew what he meant. "Well, I suppose you have," she said, a bit puzzled but still smiling.

James beamed. They stood there awkwardly for a minute, until Remus cut in. "So, should we get our supplies now?" he asked brightly, as if nothing had happened.

"Yes, of course," said Lily, thankful for the lifeline. "Hey James, can you take this cloud off me?"

"Nope," said James.

"Don't tell me you forgot to find out the counter-curse!" cried Lily.

"Oh, we looked it up, don't worry. I just don't feel like taking it off," James said nonchalantly, grinning.

Lily rolled her eyes and pretended to slap him, but in her heart of hearts, she didn't really mind.

The snowy cloud stayed with Lily for the rest of their shopping trip. Something else stayed with her too. A little opening in her heart, a small gap. Maybe it was ready to let something in.

**A/N: Okay, so that chapter was a bit shorter than I expected, but it was still about 900 words longer than the last one…so I kept my promise. I'll go out on a limb and make another one: the next chapter will be quite a bit longer and cover more time than just a few hours. I hope you enjoyed this chapter…I dunno about you but I'm glad it's up! PLEASE REVIEW!!!!! REVIEWERS AND OTHER POSITIVE CONTRIBUTORS GET TRIBUTES, LIKE STEALTHCLAW DID!!!! **

**Bye, everybody,**

**Storm (aka bibliophile114) **


	3. Chapter 2, All Things New

**A/N: _Konnichiwa_, all!!! For those of you who don't know, that's "hello/good afternoon" in Japanese. Here we are, back in Always and Forever. Now we have Chapter 2 (yay)! This chapter is kinda cool because I think I'm going to start if from James's point of view, because since he and Sirius are so hilarious and always have such a good time and love life so much, they're really fun to write about, and writing from their perspective cheers me up and inspires me. I'm sorry if things in this chapter are confusing (let me know what is, please!), and I'm sorry if my made-up spell isn't quite up to standard. There is also a tiny, mild mention of errmm…adult content I guess…but really there is nothing at all explicit or implied, it is just a brief, very brief, mention, and I really hope it doesn't offend anyone. If it does, I'm very sorry, but please keep in mind this story's rating, because I will try my hardest to follow the rating's constraint. If you think it needs to be M, I'm sorry, but it won't be M, because that often has the connotation of containing explicit and in-the-proverbial-gutter adult content, and this story will only have brief mentions like this chapter, for now at least. Hopefully I'm over-thinking all this and worrying too much, but better safe than sorry. Also I might be trying a bit of writing from Sirius's or somebody else's point of view…what do you think? Also, an inconsistency in the last chapter: In Lily and Remus's letter correspondences, Remus informed Lily that Peter would not be going, a change I made later. But then it says that he is there in Diagon Alley. I don't know why on earth I changed the letter…it may have been for a good reason but I dunno…I guess I'll change it back (eventually) for now, until I remember the reason. Also, September 1 in 1977 actually fell on a Thursday, but for my own convenience I made it a Sunday. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter, and please, please review if you do, or even if you don't. People who review have a special place in my heart, get dedications/tributes, and are more likely to have their own stories read and reviewed by myself. Okay, we're off. But first, the dedications/tributes for the chapter. There is a shout-out to my dear, dear friend Margarite, from the real world…she is a wonderful person! She may turn out to be the inspiration for one of the characters…? If she does inspire a character, I will tell you at the A/N at the end of this chapter or the next one. Then review and guess who the character is and you may get a shout-out also! **

**Then there is the Fanfiction world dedication, which is to the fantastic Savannah Masen O'Shea, THE VERY FIRST REVIEWER!!!!!!!!!!! She's amazing!!! She also added AAF to her favorite stories list, because she's fabulous that way. Here is a little note to her: **

**Savannah Masen O'Shea: YOU ROCK OUT LOUD!!! Thank you a thousand times for reviewing and adding AAF to your faves list. In case you haven't seen it, I sent you a FF message/email in response to your review. Oh, and your profile picture is really cool! Am I allowed to use all or part of your profile name for a character? Let me know, please. You're awesome! **

**Also very fabulous is Star-Spangled-Dream, the second reviewer! **

**Star-Spangled-Dream: Thank you ever so much for two kind things: the fact that you reviewed, and your review itself! You rock! You have also been sent an FF message/email. Keep being fantastic!**

**Gosh, you guys must hate these loooonnngg author's notes, but I can't seem to help it. At least I didn't make you read it, right? **

**All right, you can read it now!!! I hope you relish the third installment, yet second chapter, of Always and Forever!!! **

**~Storm, aka bibliophile114**

**WARNING: SPOILER ALERT! Do NOT, I repeat NOT, read this if you haven't read all the Harry Potter books, particularly the last three, and ESPECIALLY _Deathly Hallows_. You'll regret it! If you have, please continue. **

**DISCLAIMER, also known as the, "'If I were JKR…' of the day-err, chapter": If I were JKR…I would own the vast world of Harry Potter. But I'm not JKR, I'm Storm, so I'm only a measly little tourist. =( **

Always and Forever

Chapter Two

All Things New

The sun filtered through James Potter's window on the crisp morning of September 1st, but James didn't notice. He was fast asleep, of course, beneath the crimson duvet of his four poster bed. No, he was not at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry in his Gryffindor dormitory, but at home in the Potters' mansion. At least, he wasn't at Hogwarts yet. Not for a few more hours, for today, he would take the Hogwarts Express to the castle and begin his seventh and final year in his magical education.

But James was not thinking of Hogwarts and magic. He was dreaming. Of course, it was a dream about Lily Evans, the only girl he ever thought about, the girl he considered to be the most wonderful, beautiful female in the universe, the girl he wanted to spend the rest of his life with, and his death with, too. In this particular dream, they were in Diagon Alley like they had been two days ago, and Lily was screaming at him.

"_James Potter! You stupid, godforsaken, GIT! Do you think I WANT snow pelting down on me! The snowflakes sting! And it's making me cold! What in the name of Merlin were you thinking?! Oh, right, I forgot, you don't think!" _

Dream-Lily was referring to the magic cloud of snow that he had enchanted to float over her head for a few hours when they'd been shopping in Diagon Alley together with the two of the other Marauders: his best friends since first year, Sirius Black and Remus Lupin, who had been there, and Peter Pettigrew, who hadn't. In actuality, the snow had been soft and not too cold, and Lily had found the mild prank hilarious and been delighted by it, which made James even more delighted than she.

"_I must curse you in revenge!" Lily cried hysterically, her beautiful red hair frizzing around her face like a lion's mane, her emerald eyes crackling with fury. _

In James's dreams, the visuals concerning Lily were amazingly vivid, gorgeous, complimentary, and detailed. She also sometimes talked like someone who belonged in the insane department of Saint Mungo's hospital, which didn't make sense to James, since James was of the opinion that Lily talked like Celestina Warbeck sang (cheesy song lyrics notwithstanding), or Shakespeare (whoever that was, but apparently he was good with words), or maybe an angel (an angel singing "hallelujah" maybe…).

"_Minimis corpus!" Lily shrieked, her wand pointed at James. The spell hit him, and immediately he began to shrink, smaller and smaller until he was no bigger than an ant, and he was shrinking away from Lily, further and further, but he didn't want to leave her, and he thought he would surely shrink so small he wouldn't be able to think anymore, and he would never be able to think about Lily, or get her to like him, and he would be squished to a pulp…_

James woke up, but stayed buried under his bedclothes. He sighed. He liked having dreams about Lily, but it would be nice if they could sometimes be pleasant dreams, where she smiled at him and talked to him instead of cursing him (was there even a shrinking spell?) and yelling at him and generally acting like a maniac.

Maybe things would be better this year…he was, after all, working very hard at being mature…but who knew if he was succeeding? Sirius said he was failing miserably, but he'd say that even if James were the most mature person he knew. Remus said that he was making progress, and James figured that he should trust that judgment because Remus was always honest. And then Peter said that James was already perfect (the suck-up), and "why in the name of Merlin was he changing for a stuck-up prude like Lily?" James had punched him in the nose, and was about to pull out his wand for some well-chosen hexes, but Remus and Sirius had held him back and Moony had whispered that Peter was just not aesthetically and emotionally sensitive enough to recognize Lily's greatness, for among the Marauders, only Moony truly agreed with James that Lily was a wonderful person, although Remus's feelings for Lily were strictly platonic.

The Marauders each had different feelings on Lily, Remus's platonic friendship with and admiration of her being the one James was most comfortable with. Peter was in drooling awe of her beauty, and could understand why James might want to briefly go out with her simply because of her gorgeous looks, but he didn't see past that into her even more beautiful personality that made James not want to just date her but marry her. Sirius also thought Lily a bit stuck up although he wasn't as blatant about it as Peter, and sort of hated her for being so harsh to James, but he admitted that she was, indeed, very clever and sharp-witted (but also a "slight know it all, and has a terrible temper!" "But I _love _her temper," James had replied in a small voice), and very, very pretty (Sirius had neither protest nor argument to that statement, and James suspected that if he had not warned and reminded the Marauders over and over again that "Lily and I are destined to be together and none of you are to EVER ask her out, flirt with her, make any move on her, or worse...Yes I mean kissing her Sirius!...No, kissing her is most certainly NOT allowed…NO, SIRIUS, SLEEPING WITH HER IS DEFINITELY NOT ALLOWED EITHER ARRRGGGHH!" that Sirius would probably have asked her out by now, or would be planning to ask her out, or would be dating her). James shuddered at the thought of his best friend and the girl he himself was in love with dating each other. But anyway, even in that highly unlikely (James told himself) event, Sirius would break up with her pretty quickly, because James would either break his neck pretty quickly or he would lose interest, as he always did with the girls he dated.

Sirius. Sirius was still asleep. Did they need to get up early this morning or could they sleep in? What day was it…September 1st …the first day of seventh year at Hogwarts! James snatched up a pillow and threw it at the duvet-covered lump on the bed on the other side of the room that he assumed was Padfoot.

"Sirius!" hollered James.

"Whawhyyatalkinsoloudee?" Sirius muttered.

"It's the first day back to Hogwarts!"

"Unnnhhhhhhh," groaned Sirius.

James sighed in exasperation. He stood up wearily and walked across the room to Sirius. He said loudly, "Hey Padfoot? You know that hot girl, the Ravenclaw, who was in our double Charms class last year? What was her name…Alina McNamara, was it? You know, with the long auburn curls and those brilliant green eyes?"

"Yeahhh…McNamara…she's gooorrrggeoouusss. Whattabout 'er?" mumbled Sirius.

"IF you get up and get ready for Hogwarts, you'll get to see her today!"

"Really?" Sirius sat up.

"Yes, you dolt." James rolled his eyes. Sirius could be so easy to motivate sometimes.

"Okay then, let's go!" cried Sirius, barreling into James as he stumbled towards the door.

"Padfoot, you have to get dressed," James reminded him tiredly.

"Why?"

~*~*~

Lily's reliable old alarm clock bleeped at promptly 7:30 A.M. on the morning of September 1st. She blearily opened her eyes, and the time and date flashed on her clock. _September 1__st__..._thought Lily. _Hogwarts starts today! _Lily sat bolt upright. What did she have to do to prepare? Hmm…she needed to, of course, shower, get dressed, fix her hair, and maybe pack a small purse outside of her trunk. Her trunk was almost all packed, but she needed to add toiletries, her book, and her flashlight still…That was about it. After she did all that, she would have time to do more reading and spend some time with her parents.

Lily got up, picked out her favorite outfit, and went into the bathroom to shower, get dressed, and comb and dry her hair. She came out about twenty minutes later, feeling very much refreshed, carrying her packed toiletries, and wearing blue jeans, a white t-shirt, and a green hooded sweater, with her still slightly damp red waves of hair tucked back by a white headband.

Lily tucked her toiletries into her trunk, grabbed her flashlight from her nightstand drawer, and put that in too. Then she picked up _Pride and Prejudice_. Pack it or read it? _That's easy_, thought Lily, and settled down on her bed to read again.

Lily was tempted to finish it, but she told herself that she should save it for Hogwarts, and packed it away. Lily gazed out the window. It was sunny outside, but there was a slightly chilly breeze wafting in through the open window. Lily suddenly remembered breakfast, and then felt idiotic for forgetting it. She tiptoed downstairs, where she could see her parents and Petunia eating breakfast. It appeared that they were about halfway through.

Bugger.

Lily took a deep breath, then walked into the kitchen and hugged each of her parents good morning.

"Sorry I'm late for breakfast. I lost track of time packing for school." Lily noted with pride that she'd remembered not to use the word "Hogwarts" in front of Petunia.

"Quite all right, dear," Mrs. Evans smiled. "Have a seat."

Lily obeyed and sat next to her father. She realized with a smile that her favorite breakfast had been prepared: French toast, orange juice, and raspberries. Lily dug in eagerly, grateful that the French toast wasn't yet cold.

Once Lily had finished her breakfast, she headed upstairs to go and fetch one of her favorite classics from her bedroom.

She picked up the book with care, her finger tracing the picture on its cover and stroking the bent-up spine. Book under her arm, she trotted down the staircase, nearly bumping into Petunia as she went. _Might as well have yet another go at reconciliation_, thought Lily.

"I'll miss you while I'm at H-school, T-Petunia," said Lily with all the genuine sweetness she could muster, catching herself from saying "Hogwarts" and Petunia's childhood nickname, "Tuney", just in time.

Petunia sneered. "I won't miss you. Vernon and I will be glad to have your freaky little self out of the house."

_Honestly, Petunia, the "freak" insult loses its punch after a while, and since when is Vernon part of this household? _That was what Lily wanted to say, but she knew that would only bring about more negativity, so she just continued down the stairs and toward the back door. She ran into another family member on the way, but this time, to her relief, it was her mother.

"Lily, dear! You left right after breakfast! Did you enjoy it?" said Mrs. Evans.

"Oh, sorry about that. Of course I enjoyed it, Mum! You're such a fabulous cook and you made my favorite!" smiled Lily, and Mrs. Evans smiled too.

"Always so kind, you are, Lily," Mrs. Evans said, proud and beaming. "You know, your father and I are terrifically proud of you. You've made every year at school so wonderful, and we're sure you'll make this one equally wonderful. Oh, and getting Head Girl! Such an achievement!"

"Yes," said Mr. Evans, walking over. "You make us so proud, Lily, from the time you were a little baby to now, when you're an accomplished young woman. We love you so much, always have and always will."

Lily smiled, but she thought she might cry if her parents continued their praise. She'd gotten praise from them before, and often, but this year it was harder, knowing that soon she'd leave their world and depart into the magical community. And with Voldemort on the rise, after she left today there was a chance she'd never see them again. They were so special to her, and had done so much for her, and she didn't know if she'd be able to repay them.

"Thanks, Mum, thanks Dad," said Lily, trying to maintain a happy expression. "You two are really great too. I love you."

"Thank you, Lily," said Mr. and Mrs. Evans.

"Now off you go," said Mr. Evans. "I see you have a book in your hand, and you're no doubt eager to read it."

Lily smiled, and hugged her parents, in case this was her last chance before she left for school.

~*~*~

Lily's backyard was one of her favorite places in the Muggle world. There was a wide green lawn, a lovely swing on the porch, and her mother's garden.

Mrs. Evans's garden was beautiful, with trellises and a path of square stone slabs. There were marigolds and geraniums and roses and fuchsias and pansies and dozens of other flowers Lily had no name for, but more than any other flowers, the garden was filled with petunias and lilies. All different colors of petunias, and several types of lilies: tiger lilies, calla lilies, lilies of the valley…Lily was amazed that her mum could grow all the flowers and plants so prettily without even using magic.

Lily was not seeking the garden today, however. Her destination was a canvas hammock suspended between two apple trees. Lily swung herself onto the hammock and settled down, one leg hanging off the hammock to keep herself rocking.

Lily opened her book and was instantly ensconced in the story. Then, she heard her father call, and, all too soon, it was time to drive to King's Cross.

~*~*~

James drank in King's Cross hungrily, overjoyed to be returning to Hogwarts. He, Sirius, Remus, and Peter were all clustered together, with Mrs. Potter, Mrs. Lupin, and Mrs. Pettigrew standing a little ways off.

"Hey, Prongs," muttered Sirius.

James turned to look at him. Sirius gave a little nod of his head towards—Lily.

Lily Marie Evans was here, only about 10 meters away from him. If possible, she'd become even more lovely over the summer. Her emerald eyes shone as she chatted with a group of friends. Her hair had grown longer, cascading down her back in the red waves that so entranced James. And her smile—there was nothing brighter in the world, he was certain.

"James?" said Remus.

"What?" murmured James, dazed.

"You're staring."

"Am I?"

"Yes. And very conspicuously, too."

"Oh." James tore his gaze away, and he met the eyes of his fellow Marauders, every one of whom looked like they were suppressing the urge to roll their eyes and laugh. James did not suppress _his _urge to roll his eyes.

"Sorry, James, it's just—" Sirius began.

"I know, I know." James cut him off. He knew that Sirius, Remus, and Peter were concerned by his un-Marauder, un-James, and long-term interest in Lily. He'd dated other girls for a little while, but they were only to make Lily jealous or to try to get over Lily. When he'd realized that not only could he not get over Lily, that his idea had only made lily consider him a player, taking advantage of girls he didn't love, he'd seen that this was true. He'd instantly stopped dating from "James Potter, the handsome guy with a girl always on his arm", to "James Potter, the loner bachelor". So yes, the other short-term girls had only been an attempt to win Lily's heart, but the Marauders didn't know that. Except maybe Remus. Damn his intuition.

James's friends were even more concerned about what would happen to James's mind and soul, when he was infatuated with a girl who hated him. But while the Marauders thought what James had for Lily was only infatuation, James knew he was in love with her. He'd realized it this summer. And James was the only one who knew that. Except maybe Remus.

~*~*~

"Let's get on the train, now, shall we?" said Marlene Woodley.

"We shall," replied Lily, Alice Thompson, and Emmeline Vance in unison, and they all laughed.

The four best friends hurried onto the train, and were lucky enough to find an empty compartment.

Lily had just gotten settled when she noticed a wicked glint in Marlene's eye.

"All right, Lils," said Marlene from the seats across from Lily. "You have big news for us, I can tell, so spill!"

Lily grinned, and her three comrades leaned in attentively.

"I got Head Girl," said Lily, and Alice, Marlene, and Emmy all squealed appreciatively.

"Oh, congratulations, Lily!" Alice exclaimed. "I knew you'd get it!" The others nodded and mm-hmmed their agreement.

"I wonder who Head Boy is!" said Emmy.

"Probably Remus," said Lily. "I wish I'd asked him when I went school shopping with him in Diagon Alley, but it completely slipped my mind."

"Yeah, or maybe Amos Diggory…" suggested Marlene.

"Well," said Lily, "I guess I'll find out when I go to the Heads and Prefects' meeting. It's in five minutes, but shouldn't last too long, so I'll be back soon. But I have to go now, so I can change into my robes." Lily's fellow Gryffindors nodded, and Lily grabbed her robes and her "Head Duties" folder, slid the compartment door open, and departed for the bathroom, where she changed her Muggle clothes for her blouse, sweater, skirt, knee socks, and robes, and attached her Head Girl pin to her collar. Then, being of age, she used a spell she'd looked up to magic her Muggle clothes back into her trunk.

Lily set off for the Heads/Prefects compartment. Opening the door, she immediately saw Remus.

"Hi Remus!" she said, giving him a hug.

"Hi Lily!" he replied.

"I thought you might be Head Boy…are you?" she asked him.

"No, just seventh year Gryffindor prefect. You know Mary MacDonald's taken your place as the other Gryffindor prefect for our year?"

Lily smiled. Mary shared a dormitory with Alice, Marlene, Emmy, and Lily, but Lily didn't know her as well because Mary often preferred the company of Ravenclaws, being even more studious than Lily was. Still, Mary was a very kind and helpful person. "I didn't! Great for her!"

"Yes. Am I correct in the assumption that you were chosen as Head Girl?" Remus asked with an intuitive twinkle in his eye.

Lily nodded.

"Congratulations. A wise choice on Dumbledore's part."

"Thank you, Remus."

"You're welcome," Remus said, and the two shared a smile.

Lily looked around at the other prefects. She could see Alina McNamara, a seventh year Ravenclaw, and Sirius Black's brother Regulus, who was a Slytherin in sixth year. Lily spotted Amos Diggory. She walked up to him and tapped his shoulder.

He turned around. "Why, hello Lily! How are you?"

"Great, thanks," Lily replied. "Do you know who Head Boy is? I thought you might have gotten it."

"Thank you, Lily. I'm flattered to receive praise from such an accomplished witch as yourself. But, no, I'm returning as only a prefect. Why do you ask?"

Lily blushed. "Well, because I'm Head Girl."

"Oh, congratulations! You'll be great at it!" Amos cried genially.

"Thanks."

Lily chatted with Amos and Remus some more, and talked to Alina. Soon it was time for the meeting to begin. Lily stood up at the front, as the letter telling her she was Head Girl had said that she and the Head Boy were to lead the meeting.

"Hello, everyone. Thank you for attending the Prefects start of term meeting. Congratulations on being chosen to assist, govern, and represent your house. My name is Lily Evans and I'll be your Head Girl this year. Now, are the Gryffindor fifth year prefects here?"

"Yes."

"Hufflepuff fifth years?"

"Here."

And in this fashion Lily made sure that all twenty-four prefects, two in each of the three years in each of the four houses, were present. They were, but where was the Head Boy?

"Is the Head Boy here?" asked Lily.

No one answered, people shook their heads.

Suddenly the door to the compartment slid open, and James Potter strode in.

"Potter, why are you here?" demanded Lily.

"Nice to see you too, Lily." James said. "I'm here because I'm the Head Boy."

"_WHAT?!_" shrieked Lily. How could _POTTER _be head Boy? He was the very opposite of what a good Head Boy should be!

The prefects all watched with bated breath, both amused to see their previously calm and composed Head Girl losing control and anticipating one of the infamously frequent and marvelous Evans-Potter rows.

"Remus, tell me he's joking," pleaded Lily.

"Sorry, Lily. I try to avoid lying." Remus looked guilty.

"Why didn't you tell me before?" said Lily accusingly.

"I figured it was best to keep you in calm and happy spirits for as long as possible."

"Oh." Lily said. "Well, Potter, why are you late?"

"I, _James_, am late because I had to break up a fight in one of the compartments and show some first years where the lavatory is." James said coolly.

"Hmmph." Lily was unconvinced.

"Anyway, Lily, shall we move on with the meeting?" said James.

Lily flushed with embarrassment. _Imagine being outdone by _POTTER _in a professional situation! And at being calm and collected! Good Merlin, help me! _"Yes, of course," Lily said, taking a deep breath and smoothing her hair.

Lily and James stepped back up to the podium. Lily opened her folder, and cast a quick spell on her quill to transcribe the meeting.

"All right, first order of business: Evening Patrol. On every night but Saturday, when the staff patrols, Prefects are required to patrol the halls. Your job on these patrols is to send any late-night stragglers to bed, ensure that Peeves isn't causing too much trouble, and so on.

"The Head Boy and I will patrol every night, in the common areas of the school. The rest of you: each night the prefects from one year in each house will patrol the vicinity around their common room and dormitories. So, for example, one night we might have Ravenclaw fifth years patrolling, Slytherin sixth years, Hufflepuff fifth years, and Gryffindor seventh years, all patrolling their respective areas.

"What you need to do is talk to all the other prefects in your House and work out two nights of the week for each year to do. So, take Gryffindor. The seventh years might patrol on Tuesday and Sunday, the sixth years Monday and Thursday, and the fifth years Wednesday and Friday, with the staff patrolling Saturday. I understand that you will need to work around things like Quidditch practices and clubs, and also that teams, practices, meetings, and everything will be determined within the week. So, today being Sunday, please bring in the schedule for your house no later than Friday, the sixth of September, as Saturday the seventh is our first night of Patrols. So, it is your responsibility to meet with the other prefects in your house, work out a schedule, and get it to James or me by Friday. Are we all clear?"

Everyone nodded.

"All right. Next, the Halloween Costume Ball. It's not for almost two months, but I think it would be good to start thinking and planning. Now, every house needs to help, how do you think we should divide up the work?"

James raised his hand. Lily nodded at him.

"I was thinking of assigning one major job to each house, the jobs being food, decorations, music and activities, and advertising the ball to the school. Then Lily and I would supervise each job, talk to the teachers, and help out any house that needs it."

"Sounds good to me," Lily admitted reluctantly. "Any other ideas?" No one raised their hand, either because they didn't have a better idea or didn't want to contradict the "amazing James Potter", Lily thought contemptuously.

"All right, it's settled, then," said Lily. "How shall we divide the jobs? Drawing at random?" James and the prefects nodded.

Lily muttered a spell to conjure a top hat, and pulled a sheet of parchment and a quill out of her folder, she passed the quill and parchment to James, who tore the parchment into four strips and wrote a job on each. Then he dropped the parchments into the hat, and Lily muttered a spell for random shuffling.

"Someone from Gryffindor come up, then Hufflepuff, then Ravenclaw, then Slytherin." James instructed.

"But Slytherin's last! That's unfair," complained Regulus Black.

"Sorry, alphabetical order by house. And it's random, anyway," countered James, relishing his small and completely just triumph over Sirius's unkind and possibly Death Eater brother.

Mary MacDonald went up for Gryffindor, and drew "decorations." Lily hid a smile, pleased that such an important and fun job had fallen into the capable and deserving hands of Gryffindor.

Amos drew "food" for Hufflepuff, Alina got Ravenclaw "music and activities" and Slytherin was left with "advertising."

The rest of the meeting continued without incident, with James, Lily, and the Prefects discussing ideas for the Ball, questions about duties, and ideas in general for how the school year should go, Lily's quill creating an exact transcript the whole time. Lily was still shocked and furious about James becoming Head Boy, but she tried to contain herself during the meeting.

Finally, everything had been covered, and James concluded the meeting. Lily got herself out of the compartment as quickly as she could, and had to stop herself from running back to the compartment where her friends were. She burst in the doorway, yelling, "That bloody prat POTTER got Head Boy!"

"Did you just call my best mate a, err, how did you put it, 'bloody prat', Evans?" drawled a deeply melodic voice. Lily looked for the speaker and was not surprised to find none other than Sirius Black slouching in between Peter Pettigrew and Marlene, his lanky legs sprawled out casually across the compartment.

"I didn't know you had hearing problems, Black. I thought exactly what I called him was so clear it didn't need clarification," said Lily as coolly as she could manage. It managed to escape Lily's attention that Alice's eyes went wide, Emmy bit her lip, and Marlene sucked in her breath, all in dreading anticipation of a fight between Lily and Sirius. Their fights were second in drama only to those of Lily and James.

"Oh, well excuse me for checking. I just didn't want to get mad at you without making sure you actually said what you said. And why is that he's a 'bloody prat', may I ask?" said Sirius, his manner cool except for a storm brewing in his appropriately silver-grey eyes.

"Oh for Merlin's sake! Well, Dumbledore must have been bloody hallucinating, or something, and he chose Potter as Head Boy! Then, ON THE FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL, Potter abuses his position and shows up LATE to the HEADS AND PREFECTS' MEETING!" Lily paused for breath, which couldn't have made better timing for an interruption, arriving in the form of James slipping through the compartment door.

"Lily, I thought I'd explained this. I was breaking up a fight and assisting some first years," James said calmly.

"And how do I know you're not lying?" demanded Lily furiously, standing up.

"James wouldn't lie about something like that," said Sirius defensively, also standing.

"The James I know would!" said Lily.

"And what do YOU know of James?!" exploded Sirius. "You're not his best mate! You're not even his friend! You're just a bad-tempered snob who hates him!"

Lily closed her mouth and sat back down, she could feel tears prickling in her eyes; so did a seething Sirius. James sat down too, looking awkward.

James looked at Marlene, Alice, and Emmy. "So," he said, in a desperate attempt at conversation, "what N.E.W.T. classes are you taking this year?"

Marlene, Alice, and Emmy were just as desperate to steer the talking away from Lily and Sirius's fight, and launched into the details of their classes. Remus joined in when he arrived a few minutes later, and even Peter talked a bit. Sirius just sat there, perhaps a bit ashamed of yelling at Lily and insulting her, especially because she was the girl his best friend was smitten with. Still, he could not gather up the courage or push down the pride to say sorry, and neither could Lily. Lily had curled up in a corner and pulled _Pride and Prejudice _out of her trunk, her personal therapy.

A long time passed, with James, Remus, Peter, Alice, Emmy, and Marlene talking and eating some sweets they bought off the trolley, Sirius sulking, and Lily reading and trying not to cry. Finally they were close to Hogwarts, and Sirius, Peter, and the girls left to put on their robes, leaving Lily, Remus, and James, who'd already put on their robes for the meeting.

In a rare and uncharacteristic moment of tack, James said that he was going to get a glass of water from the trolley, giving Lily and Remus some time alone. Remus stood up carefully, and walked slowly over to Lily, sitting down next to her. Lily put down her book, and Remus could see the tears welling in her dark green eyes.

"I'm sorry about the fight with Sirius," said Remus. "Alice said you'd had a bit of a spat."

"I wouldn't call it a 'bit of a spat,'" Lily said quietly.

"If it makes you feel any better, I doubt Sirius's words were aimed to hurt you, but more to defend James. Sirius gets very fierce about protecting his friends, and if you thought James had done something he hadn't, he would be quick to defend James. And sometimes, when Sirius gets defensive or angry, like all of us, his temper overrides his sense of reason." Remus explained gently.

"Exactly how much did Alice tell you?" asked Lily.

Remus smiled sheepishly, and Lily grinned, too. She knew she would have to apologize to Sirius, and to James for accusing him, and her smile faded.

"Remus?"

"Yes?"

"Do you think James really did have to break up a fight and help those first years?" Lily asked.

Remus sighed. "The James you know would probably have been lying in an attempt to get in your good graces. But you haven't seen James so much this summer. He's almost a new James, Lily, he's changed. If you ask me, he was probably telling the truth. He was just as shocked as all of us when he got the letter telling him he was Head Boy, but he really is taking it seriously and trying to do a good job. You saw him at the meeting. He was perfectly earnest about the meeting and his ideas."

Lily was having a hard time imagining a new and changed James, but Remus was honest, so she supposed she'd have to take his word for it. Still, she wasn't ready to totally accept the idea.

"By the way, Lily," added Remus. "I trust you'll be apologizing to both of them?"

"Of course," said Lily meekly. She would never have apologized to them in the past, but she realized it was probably the right thing to do in general, especially this time since she had been very much in the wrong.

"You can apologize to James as soon as you get the chance, as what went on with you and he was smaller, and he's usually quite forgiving. But you may want to wait for Sirius to calm down and get some food, so after dinner may be a good time. And I suppose you'll want to calm down and eat, too?" said Remus.

Lily laughed. "Definitely," she said, imagining the delicious treacle tarts waiting for her after the meal.

*~*~*

James had left the compartment mainly to give Lily some time with Remus, who would be sure to have some words of comfort and advice for her in her upset state. However, he found he did actually need a glass of water, and took his time getting one. But on his way back, another thing delayed him, which was convenient because it gave him more time to let Lily talk to Remus, but was annoying because it was a pack of giggling heavily made-up girls who were smiling coquettishly at James and batting their thick-with-mascara eyelashes.

James offered a bit of polite but strictly companionable small talk, in an attempt to be kind but not arrogant or flirtatious. Then he made his escape back to the compartment, where, to his relief, Lily and Remus were smiling and chatting amiably. He shuffled in with a "hey" in greeting, and sat down across from the two.

"Hi," Lily said quietly, flushing a bit.

James smiled at her to show that he wasn't mad. Which he wasn't, actually. She hadn't been able to see the improved James yet, and the James of last year would have been lying. But no, not this James! This James was kind and respectful and honest and punctual and modest and mature! Or, at least, working on it. So maybe Lily had overreacted a bit, but she was probably surprised that he was Head Boy, and stressed about the meeting and N.E.W.T. year. And he had a hard time being mad at someone as wonderful and beautiful as Lily (not that anyone in the world besides Lily was that wonderful and beautiful) anyways.

Soon, the girls, Peter, and Sirius returned to the compartment. Lily, feeling much better, immediately started chatting with the other girls. Eventually the train drew to a stop. Most of the Gryffindors left the compartment, but Lily hung back. James was about to leave when Lily said quietly, "James, could you wait a moment?"

James turned around, eyes expectant.

"James, I-I," stammered Lily. She took a deep breath. "I'm really sorry that I got so mad at you, and insulted you, and accused you of being late without a good reason. If you say you had a good reason, I'll take your word for it and hope you're being honest. And thanks for being so great at the meeting today." Lily blushed and ducked her head so her red locks hung in her eyes.

"Lily," James said, and when she didn't look up he gently tilted her chin up with his index finger. "It's all right, I understand. I'm sorry too, for being late. I felt awful. And thank you for the compliment; you were wonderful at the meeting."

"Besides the screaming and yelling at you?" asked Lily, a smile poking the corner of her mouth.

"Screaming and yelling notwithstanding," said James with a grin, and they both laughed.

"We'd better go," said Lily, "or we'll be late to the feast."

"Of course, of course! That would be utter blasphemy, tardy to the Hogwarts first day feast!"

Lily laughed, and the two walked, without squabbling once, to the great hall.

~*~*~

The feast improved everyone's spirits, despite the heavy rain outside. Lily was joyous once again, laughing with Marlene, Emmy, and Alice. James and Remus and Peter were all in the best of moods, and even Sirius had cheered up, although guilt still nagged the back of his mind.

Lily finished the last bite of her treacle tart with relish and heartily quaffed her pumpkin juice to complete the perfect dinner.

"I think we'll head up to the dormitory now, Lils," said Emmy. "You coming?"

"I'll be there in a few minutes," said Lily, smiling to mask her slight dread at apologizing to Sirius.

After Emmy, Alice, and Marlene left, Lily approached Sirius. "Sirius?"

"Yeah?" said Sirius gruffly.

"I just wanted to say that I'm really sorry for insulting you and James and overreacting and getting in that fight."

"Have you apologized to James?" demanded Sirius.

"Of course," said Lily, trying to keep her tone mild.

"All right then, thanks for the apology. I'm sorry to. I shouldn't have called you those things and started a fight." Sirius said, more earnestly than Lily would have thought possible.

"Thanks, and it's okay," said Lily. She smiled a bit at Sirius, and then walked off.

Just as she was about to stroll out the huge doors of the Hall, Lily heard a brusque voice say, "Ms. Evans, if you could wait a moment please."

Lily turned around, and saw Professor McGonagall standing next to James. Lily walked over. "Yes?"

"Being Head Boy and Girl of the school, I understand that with your many duties you may want a place for quiet work and rest. To meet this need, the two of you will share a common room and dormitory," said McGonagall.

Lily wasn't sure whether she blanched or blushed, but either way: _Sharing a dormitory with _James_! _

James looked fairly shocked too.

McGonagall glanced at each of them, sighed, and then said, "Please follow me."

Numbly, Lily and James obeyed. McGonagall led them up two staircases, down four different corridors, and finally they stopped at a painting. It was a beautiful painting of winter turning to spring, with a young couple walking through the melting snow. The man and the woman waved at Lily and James.

"The two of you may agree on the password that you will change every Sunday. To help remind you, the people in the painting will not let you use the old password come Sunday. The painting has been enchanted so no one can change the password but either of you. To change the password, simply press your fingertip to the hollow in the tree and say the new password," McGonagall explained.

Lily and James nodded. "I'll leave you now," said McGonagall. "You can sleep in either this Heads Dormitory or your old one, or both, whichever you prefer. The students who share your respective dormitories have been informed that you may spend nights in this room. Best of luck with your new positions and this year." Lily and James were surprised to see one of the professor's rare smiles cross her face before she turned and walked briskly away.

James turned to Lily with his hands shoved in his pockets. "All right, so, what do you think the password should be?"

"I dunno," said Lily. "You can pick the first one."

James thought a moment. "How about…'treacle tart'?"

A surprised smile spread across Lily's face. "You like treacle tarts?"

James smiled, too. "I love treacle tarts!"

"That's funny," said Lily. "I love them, too."

"Okay, so shall I make that the password, then?" said James.

"Yes," said Lily.

James pressed a finger to the hollow in the painted tree, and said clearly, "Treacle tart."

The couple smiled at them, saying together, "Password, please."

"Treacle tart," the two students said, and the painting swung open.

Inside was a lovely common room. Red and gold hangings, sometimes emblazoned with lions, along with cozy red armchairs and couches with gold cushions, gave the room a distinct Gryffindor feel. A fire was roaring in the huge fire place, and two large oak desks sat side by side near one of the crimson-curtained window. A set of stairs on each side of the room led to each of their bedchambers.

Lily and James climbed the stairs. The stairs on the right led to a door with a plaque on it that said, "Lily Evans", and the stairs on the right led to an identical door that bore a plaque inscribed, "James Potter".

Lily opened her door. Inside were a four-poster bed that looked just like the one in her other dormitory (her trunk was sitting at the end of it), a nightstand, a wardrobe, an armchair, and a dressing table standing near a door. Lily opened the door, and saw a toilet, a huge bathtub like the one in the prefects' bathroom, a shower, and two sinks. _Why two sinks? _Lily wondered.

Just then, she noticed a door on the other side of the bathroom, and just as she noticed it, there was a knock.

"Come in," said Lily weakly, blushing for the umpteenth time that day, and James popped his head in.

"Oh," said James, and blushed a bit too when he saw what he'd found. "Well," he said in a somewhat obvious attempt to lighten the mood, "I suppose the school couldn't very well afford two bathtubs that fancy."

Lily nodded.

"You can get ready first," said James politely, and left, closing the door.

Lily locked the door on James's side, and went to get her toiletry kit and pajamas from her trunk, then locked her bedroom door. After putting on her pink flannel pajamas and white dressing gown, she used the toilet, brushed her teeth, combed her hair, and washed her face, then knocked on James's door.

"Yes?" he said from the other side.

"I'm all finished in here," she said shyly and then left hurriedly.

Lily decided to unpack her trunk. She hung her robes and her Muggle clothes in the wardrobe, tucking her pajamas, socks, and underwear into its drawers. She packed her satchel for the next day with her schoolbooks, quill, ink, and parchment. She set all her books on her nightstand, along with her flashlight and two photographs. One was of her family, taken about a year before she'd gotten her Hogwarts letter, when Petunia was still nice to her. The other was of she and her three best friends, on the day exams had ended. They were all sitting under a tree together, in casual Muggle clothes since classes were done for the year. Remus had taken the picture for her. Last she pulled out a little plush animal. It was a fawn, and the funny thing was it had been given to her when she was a baby, but it was the same animal as her Patronus, a doe. The fawn had a little pocket in its stomach, tucked in which was a handkerchief, beautifully embroidered with a graceful _L _and lilies. Lily gently rested the fawn by her pillow, and was about to get into her bed when she heard a knock on her bedroom door.

"Yes?" she called.

James (_Who else would it be? _Lily chided herself exasperatedly) opened the door. "Good night, Lily."

"Good night," said Lily, and James left.

As Lily crawled under the covers, she couldn't decide whether James's gesture had been childish and annoying or sweet and caring.

_Oh well_, she thought, and she was too tired even to read _Pride and Prejudice_, hence falling asleep almost instantly.

**A/N: Wow, that chapter was pretty long, huh? About 26 pages, including the A/N! PLEASE REVIEW!!!!! Reviewers and other positive contributors (i.e. adding it to Story Alert, adding it to your favorite stories, etc.) get tributes, like stealthclaw, Savannah Masen O'Shea, and Star-Spangled-Dream did! Also, if I ever am adding a character and he or she needs a name, you might get to choose the name if you give several really nice reviews, or maybe just one or two REALLY superb ones. Hmm…maybe my motivation isn't working? What would make you want to review? Nobody cares whether I update or not…and I've offered dedications, character naming, reading YOUR story…any ideas for motivation?**

**Questions:**

**What do you think James's father's name should be? I can't figure out a good one! And James's dad's name will be James's middle name, so make sure it sounds good, please! **

**Are James and Lily getting along too well? I mean, they'll fight plenty for a while, but after that…hehehe! **

**Help for either of my questions is greatly appreciated; thank you! **

**Sayonara (good bye in Japanese), **

**Storm (aka bibliophile114) **


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